Former Pakistan cricket player Mohammad Amir feels that although the Indian team seems powerful on paper, they made multiple errors against Bangladesh in their just finished Champions Trophy game in Dubai.
Amir said during a recent interview, “on the day of a match between India and Pakistan, the team that makes less mistakes wins.”
“Based on papers, the Indian team seems powerful. Looking at their record in bilateral series, they have performed really well; but, in their first encounter against Bangladesh, they committed a lot of mistakes. Now, with a high-pressure match against Pakistan scheduled, if India keeps making the same errors, Pakistan will have an opportunity to prevail,” he said.
Although Pakistan suffered in every category during their debut game, the former bowler believes that a victory against India will greatly increase their confidence and inspire them towards yet another Champions Trophy final.
Apart from a forced modification resulting from Fakhar Zaman’s injury, he also said Pakistan is unlikely to adjust their starting XI significantly.
“The team won’t alter all that much. Either Usman Khan or Imam-ul-Haq can participate. The remainder of the team will stay the same, he remarked.
It is crucial to note that on Sunday in Dubai Pakistan, under Mohammad Rizwan, will be facing India in their second tournament encounter.
On their opening game at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi on February 19, the Men in Green lost 60 runs against New Zealand.
Thanks to Shubman Gill’s outstanding 101-run effort, India started their campaign with a decisive victory and effectively chased a 229-run goal against Bangladesh.
India and Pakistan have historically five times faced each other in the Champions Trophy. India has emerged triumphant twice; Pakistan has won three meetings.
Their most recent encounter in the event was in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, in which Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Pakistan crushed India to grab a historic 180-run triumph and their first Champions Trophy trophy.
India and Pakistan have faced one other 135 times in ODIs overall. India has won 57 matches out of 58 meetings; Pakistan has claimed victory on 73 times. Five games finished without a score.
